Why the Newyork Knicks will never win a title with Carmelo Anthony

With the Newyork Knicks losing to the Indiana Pacers Sat. night it brought to an end the season that was supposed to see them beat the Miami Heat. This was the year were they played the Miami Heat for a chance to go to the NBA finals. The stage was set, the Newyork Knicks had home court, the leading scorer in the NBA, and one of the best 6th man in the league. So what went wrong? You could blame the newyorkknicks problems on a number of things. Their style of play, lack of rebounding, missed shots, or bad coaching. Each of these reasons could be right, but at a closer look it’s there team leader which could be the problem.

For the first time in his career Carmelo Anthony lead a team he has played for out of the first round. While it seemed to be a great feat, the Newyork Knicks showed a lack of interest that is needed for a championship team. The problem is that while he is a great one on one offensive talent, but his style of play promotes a stagnant offense. Once the ball is in his hands 9 times out of 10 he is going to put up a shot. When you examine some of the top teams in the league the Bulls, Heat, Spurs, and the Thunderyou will see great ball movement with multiple players touching the ball with each possession. Going back to his days with the Denver Nuggets, Carmelo has played the exact same way with great statistics for him, but does not prove well in the playoffs. One on one isolation plays kill possessions as the waste precious second off of the shot clock, and takes away the flow of the offense. He plays lazy basketball and settles for to many long range jumpers which turn into fast break chances for the opposing team.

When comparing Carmelo Anthony to players like a Lebron James, one of the glaring differences in the two players game is defense. Lebron James on each play, and each possession display a full commitment to playing great defense. Carmelo gives up as many points as he scores on some nights which can not help a team that struggles to score. The Newyork Knicks this season played their best basketball while playing in their small lineup, which features Carmelo Anthony at the power forward position. It worked great until they ran into teams with good low post power forwards which could exploit Carmelo on the block. He has not displayed that he will ever change his efforts on the defensive end, and is a big reason he will retire without a ring.

Carmelo Anthony needs to become a leader both on the court, but also in the locker room. He needs to make the players around him better. Rarely does he pass the ball, takes to many contested shoots, and has too few assist to be a great teammate. Many people want Lebron James to be a more selfish player, but why. He get the absolute most out of his teammates, and they love him for it. James understands individual stats will only get you so far in this league. While many of us will attack him for his lack of leadership, many of the top players in the game came around later in their careers to lead teams to NBA titles. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James all struggled to lead players on their respected teams at the start of their careers before turning things around. Being the leading scorer on a team does not make you a leader, but the ability to inspire role players to raise their games to the highest levels does. So how does Carmelo Anthony turn things around?

The Newyork Knicks Carmelo Anthony will have allot to prove in year four with the team. He will have to prove to the fans as well as his teammates that he is fully committed to winning a championship. Because of player contracts the Newyork Knicks will not be able to do much in the off-season to improve their current roster. This means that Carmelo Anthony must find a way to lead this team past the Miami Heat and into the NBA finals. only time will tell if the Newyork Knick Carmelo Anthony relationship will work for much longer.